FC Ryukyu Okinawa (FC琉球OKINAWA, Efu Shī Ryūkyū OKINAWA) is a Japanese professional football club based in Okinawa. The club plays in the J3 League, Japanese third tier of professional football. The team's home stadium is Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
The team derive their name from Ryukyu, the historic name for Okinawa Prefecture. The club once had futsal and handball teams.
History
The club was founded in 2003.1 Most of the players who initially joined the club were those who had left Okinawa Kariyushi FC after a rift with their management, which were beholden to the Kariyushi hotel chain. Their first 2003 season saw them win the championship in Okinawa Prefectural Division 3 North. They were allowed to skip to Division 1 the next season, where they again succeeded in finishing top of the table.
In the 2005 season, they belonged to the Kyūshū Regional League (Kyu League). After finishing 2nd and winning the Regional League play-off, they were promoted to the JFL and became the first ever Okinawan football side who played in a national league.
In December 2007, the club appointed former Japan national coach Philippe Troussier as their general manager.2 Jean-Paul Rabier was appointed as their manager in January 2008.3
They applied for J. League Associate Membership in January 2008, but their application was declined at the J. League board meeting held on February 19, 2008.
In December 2008, the resignation of Rabier was announced. Former coach Hiroyuki Shinzato was promoted to be the new manager in January 2009.
In 2014, FC Ryukyu could finally join the J3 League.
In January 2015, FC Ryukyu announced a partnership with Seoul United from the Korean Challengers League. According to the agreement the teams will play a friendly match every year. The first match was scheduled for 1 March 2015.
FC Ryukyu have made steady progress in recent years, finishing in 8th place in J3 in 2016, and improving on that the following year, finishing 6th.
In the 2018 season they secured promotion to J2 with 3 games left after a 1–1 draw at Nagano Parceiro, and in the following game beat Thespakusatsu Gunma to claim the J3 title with two games to spare.
They started their first season in J2 in 2019, in style with 4 straight wins to top the league, but faded as the season progressed eventually finishing in 14th place.
In 2022, after spending four years in the J2 League, the club was relegated back to the J3 League after scoring their lowest points total in the second-tier. The club finished in 21st place with 37 points, only 3 points off the last placed team.
On 26 October 2023, the club announced that they will use FC Ryukyu Okinawa for branding purpose starting 2024 season, although the club's current name will remain used in any competition.4 The change initially also included the update of club's emblem. However, the plan eventually revised and Ryukyu decided to keep the current emblem for 2024 season, albeit with modified colorway.5
For the 2025 season, FC Ryukyu Okinawa announced a new logo.6
Home stadium
The home stadium is the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium (Okinawa Prefectural Sports Park Athletic Stadium), based in Okinawa City.7
Until 2014, the Okinawa City Athletic Stadium in Okinawa City was used as the main home stadium, and multiple stadiums were used.
League & cup record
| Champions | Runners-up | Third place | Promoted | Relegated |
| League | J. League Cup | Emperor'sCup | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Div. | Tier | Teams | Pos. | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts | Attendance/G | ||
| 2005 | Kyushu SoccerLeague | 4 | 10 | 2nd | 18 | 13.5 | 1 | 3.5 | 51 | 12 | -39 | 42 | – | Not eligible | 3rd round |
| 2006 | JFL | 3 | 18 | 14th | 34 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 29 | 57 | -28 | 29 | 3,189 | 2nd round | |
| 2007 | 18 | 17th | 34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 38 | 82 | -44 | 27 | 2,443 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2008 | 18 | 16th | 34 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 31 | 58 | -27 | 27 | 2,882 | ||||
| 2009 | 18 | 16th | 34 | 11 | 5 | 18 | 42 | 57 | -15 | 38 | 1,348 | ||||
| 2010 | 18 | 10th | 34 | 14 | 6 | 14 | 51 | 51 | 0 | 48 | 1,777 | 2nd round | |||
| 2011 | 18 | 9th | 33 | 14 | 4 | 15 | 47 | 51 | -4 | 46 | 1,860 | 2nd round | |||
| 2012 | 17 | 9th | 32 | 12 | 7 | 13 | 58 | 62 | -4 | 43 | 2,164 | 1st round | |||
| 2013 | 18 | 11th | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 47 | 51 | -4 | 46 | 2,069 | 2nd round | |||
| 2014 | J3 | 3 | 12 | 9th | 33 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 31 | 50 | -19 | 34 | 1,398 | 2nd round | |
| 2015 | 13 | 9th | 36 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 45 | 51 | -6 | 45 | 1,498 | 2nd round | |||
| 2016 | 16 | 8th | 30 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 46 | 46 | 0 | 44 | 1,561 | 2nd round | |||
| 2017 | 17 | 6th | 32 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 44 | 36 | 8 | 50 | 2,508 | 1st round | |||
| 2018 | 17 | 1st | 32 | 20 | 6 | 6 | 70 | 40 | 30 | 66 | 3,146 | 1st round | |||
| 2019 | J2 | 2 | 22 | 14th | 42 | 13 | 10 | 19 | 57 | 80 | -23 | 49 | 4,953 | 2nd round | |
| 2020 † | 22 | 16th | 42 | 14 | 8 | 20 | 58 | 61 | -3 | 50 | 1,170 | Did not qualify | |||
| 2021 † | 22 | 9th | 42 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 57 | 47 | 10 | 65 | 1,618 | 2nd round | |||
| 2022 | 22 | 21st | 42 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 41 | 65 | -24 | 37 | 1,996 | 2nd round | |||
| 2023 | J3 | 3 | 20 | 17th | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 43 | 61 | -18 | 43 | 2,534 | 2nd round | |
| 2024 | 20 | 14th | 38 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 45 | 54 | -9 | 47 | 3,007 | 3rd round | Did not qualify | ||
| 2025 | 20 | TBA | 38 | 1st round | TBD | ||||||||||
- Pos. = Position in league; P = Games played; W = Games won; D = Games drawn; L = Games lost; F = Goals scored; A = Goals conceded; GD = Goals difference; Pts = Points gained
- Attendance/G = Average home league attendance
- † 2020 & 2021 seasons attendances reduced by COVID-19 worldwide pandemic
- Source: J.League Data Site
Honours
FC Ryukyu Honours| Honour | No. | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Okinawa Prefectural League Division 3 North | 1 | 2003 |
| "Times Cup" Okinawa Prefectural Football Championship Emperor's Cup Okinawa Prefectural Qualifiers | 13 | 2004, 2005, 2009, 2010 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 ,2023 |
| Okinawa Prefectural League Division 1 | 1 | 2004 |
| Japanese Regional Promotion Series | 1 | 2005 |
| J3 League | 1 | 2018 |
Current squad
As of 21 March 2025.8 Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
|
|
Club officials
Club officials for 2025 season 9
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Manager | Tadaaki Hirakawa |
| Coach | Naotsugu Obata Jin Kanaoya |
| Goalkeeping coach | Kazushi Haebaru |
| Analytical coach | Teraoka Hiroki |
| Physical coach | Sho Watanabe |
| Chief trainer | Syuta Irei |
| Trainer | Takuya Kawasaki Ryuki Shindo Ryota Osawa |
| Side manager | Naoki Egawa |
Managerial history
| Manager | Nationality | Tenure | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Finish | ||
| George Yonashiro | Japan | 1 February 2004 | 31 January 2007 |
| Hideo Yoshizawa | Japan | 1 February 2007 | 31 January 2008 |
| Jean-Paul Rabier | France | 1 January 2008 | 31 December 2008 |
| Hiroyuki Shinzato | Japan | 1 February 2009 | 31 January 2012 |
| Takeo Matsuda | Japan | 1 February 2012 | 31 January 2013 |
| Norihiro Satsukawa | Japan | 1 February 2013 | 31 January 2016 |
| Kim Jong-song | North Korea | 1 February 2016 | 31 January 2019 |
| Yasuhiro Higuchi | Japan | 1 February 2019 10 | 20 October 2021 |
| Tetsuhiro Kina | Japan | 20 October 2021 11 | 8 June 2022 12 |
| Kazuki Kuranuki (caretaker) | Japan | 9 June 2022 | 13 June 2022 |
| Nacho Fernández | Spain | 14 June 2022 | 31 January 2023 |
| Kazuki Kuranuki | Japan | 1 February 2023 13 | 16 May 2023 14 |
| Tetsuhiro Kina | Japan | 16 May 2023 | 15 September 2023 15 |
| Kim Jong-song | North Korea | 16 September 2023 | 31 January 2025 16 |
| Tadaaki Hirakawa | Japan | 1 February 2025 | Current |
Team colour and crest
The men team's name is FC Ryukyu Okinawa.
Their team colour is bengara, a shade of red pigment. It is called red ochre in English and can be generally described as claret. Bengara derives from a Dutch word 'bengala' which in turn derives from Bengal, a historic region located in India and Bangladesh. This name was given because the pigment was traditionally imported from Bengal to Japan. Okinawa has a close association with the bengara colour which is prominently applied to Shuri Castle, one of the most symbolic historical buildings in the area.
In 2008 they adopted a sky-blue trim for their home uniform, as their bengara pigment pattern was considered too similar to Aston Villa from England (the claret and sky-blue pattern was around long before Troussier and the French staff arrived, so a coincidence in colours is feasible).
Their crest features a pair of Shisas, imaginary talismanic creatures in the area, and the crown of the kings of the former Ryukyu Kingdom.
Kit evolution
| Home kits - 1st | ||||
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 - 2007 | 2008 |
| 2009 - 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| 2025 - | ||||
| Away kits - 2nd | ||||
| 2006 - 2007 | 2008 | 2009 - 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 - | ||
| 3rd kits - Other | ||||
| 2011 3rd | 2020charity | 2021 3rd | 2022 3rd | 2022Shuri Castle Reconstruction Support Charity Match Okinawa Legend |
| 20233rd20th Anniversary | 20243rdZimbeño | |||
External links
- Official website (in Japanese)
References
"FC Ryukyu Profile, Results, Players, Stats, Stadium". J.LEAGUE. Retrieved 2025-02-17. http://www.jleague.co/clubs/FC-RYUKYU/ ↩
"NEWS". FC琉球公式サイト | FC Ryukyu Official Website. Retrieved 2024-04-28. https://fcryukyu.com/club-information/1 ↩
"NEWS". FC琉球公式サイト | FC Ryukyu Official Website. Retrieved 2024-04-28. https://fcryukyu.com/club-information/1 ↩
"新チーム名称・エンブレム決定のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023. https://fcryukyu.com/news/43260/ ↩
"2024シーズン使用プロパティの一部見直し 及びリブランディングプロジェクト再始動について". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023. https://fcryukyu.com/news/43583/ ↩
"New logo for 2025 season". fcryukyu.com/. Retrieved 23 February 2025. https://fcryukyu.com/news/51644/ ↩
"NEWS". FC琉球公式サイト | FC Ryukyu Official Website. Retrieved 2024-04-28. https://fcryukyu.com/club-information/1 ↩
"2025 Squad". fcryukyu.com. Retrieved 22 March 2025. https://fcryukyu.com/profile/ ↩
"2025 Club officials". fcryukyu.com/. FC Ryukyu Okinawa. Retrieved 22 March 2025. https://fcryukyu.com/profile/#STAFF ↩
"Yasuhiro Higuchi sacked". fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022. https://fcryukyu.com/news/29744/ ↩
"Tetsuhiro Kina appointed as manager". fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 2 January 2022. https://fcryukyu.com/news/29745/ ↩
"喜名哲裕監督 解任のお知らせ" [Notice of dismissal of Tetsuhiro Kina]. fcryukyu.com. Archived from the original on 9 June 2022. Retrieved 9 June 2022. https://fcryukyu.com/news/33324/ ↩
"倉貫一毅ヘッドコーチ 監督就任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 28 October 2022. Archived from the original on 28 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022. https://fcryukyu.com/news/36426/ ↩
"倉貫一毅監督 解任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 16 May 2023. Archived from the original on 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023. https://fcryukyu.com/news/40029/ ↩
"News Interim manager appointed". FC琉球公式サイト | FC Ryukyu Official Website. Retrieved 2023-05-16. https://fcryukyu.com/news/40029/1 ↩
"金鍾成（キン・ジョンソン） 氏 監督就任のお知らせ". fcryukyu.com (in Japanese). FC Ryukyu. 15 September 2023. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023. https://fcryukyu.com/news/42292/ ↩